Fuel tanks may comprise a variety of shapes and sizes to store fuel for combustion. However, as customer demands for greater driving ranges on a single fill-up continue to increase, so do fuel tank sizes. As such, the shape of the fuel tank may be adjusted to increase in size while also accommodating other vehicle components onboard the vehicle. Some example fuel tank shapes may include saddle-type, suitcase-type, and cigar type.
During some driving events where a vehicle is exposed to prolonged (e.g., 5 seconds or more) lateral accelerations, fuel in the fuel tank may be directed away from a primary fuel delivery module pick-up inlet. Current example approaches utilizing scavenge pumps may not be able to overcome the forces generated during the lateral acceleration to redirect the fuel back to the primary fuel delivery module pick-up inlet. This may cause loss of fuel pressure and engine power.
However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such systems. As one example, the current example approaches rely solely on suction to pull fuel from other portions of the fuel tank to the primary fuel delivery module pick-up inlet. The suction generated during may be less than a suction desired to overcome a resistance pressure of the fuel due to the lateral acceleration, which may lead to insufficient fuel flow or a complete loss of fuel flow.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a system comprising a fuel tank comprising a primary fuel delivery module comprising a fuel pump and a fuel pick-up inlet fluidly coupled to a fuel return conduit and a fuel feed conduit, and where the fuel feed conduit fluidly couples the fuel pump to a scavenge pump arranged directly adjacent to a scavenge inlet. In this way, suction losses between the scavenge pump and scavenge inlet may be eliminated and fuel flow may be reliable during vehicle conditions with high lateral pressures.
As one example, a distance between the scavenge pump and the scavenge inlet is decreased relative to arrangements in previous examples to decrease a pressure loss between the scavenge pump and scavenge inlet. In this way, fuel may be drawn into the scavenge inlet and fed to the primary fuel delivery module even during vehicle conditions where lateral pressures are relatively high. In one example, the fuel may be forced through a fuel return conduit via positive pressure generated by the fuel pump of the primary fuel delivery module in combination with suction generated by the scavenge pump. The two forces may gather fuel from a volume of the fuel tank distal to the primary fuel delivery module to return the fuel to the primary fuel delivery module during vehicle conditions where lateral forces are relatively high.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.